USPS Deploys Emergency Measures After Rural Ballot Rejections Surge

The United States Postal Service is implementing extraordinary measures to ensure the timely delivery of mail-in ballots for the November 3 general election. These actions follow a ProPublica analysis revealing that the agency's regional transportation optimization plan consolidated mail processing and reduced pickup frequencies, causing ballot rejection rates to double or triple in rural counties across Washington, California, Ohio, North Carolina, and Oregon during recent primaries.

In eastern Washington alone, over 2,000 ballots arrived late, often because delayed postmarking pushed them past legal deadlines. The service cuts were part of a broader restructuring plan to reduce agency deficits. In response to the failures, the USPS has instructed post offices to separate ballots from first-class mail for the 10 days preceding the election and deliver them the day they arrive.

USPS officials maintain that 97.98 percent of ballot mail was delivered on time as of October 9 and that the network is operating without major disruptions. However, election officials and experts warn that even a small number of missing ballots could swing rural contests. Some rural election auditors are now urging voters to use drop boxes instead of the mail to ensure their votes are counted.